ADHD in the News - June 13, 2013

A weekly news digest** from the National Resource Center on ADHD: A Program of CHADD

"More new cases of attention deficit disorder are being diagnosed in Maine in recent years than in the rest of the country as a whole, according to a study by the company Express Scripts. The pharmacy benefit management firm, one of the largest in the nation, reports a 17 percent growth in the treatment of ADD in adults and children between 2008 and 2010, while the rate of increase in Maine was more than twice that much, at 35 percent..." Full Story

Univ. study: ADHD children thrive when their parents do (The Diamondback, June 13, 2013)

"Developing a parenting and emotional management program for mothers of children with ADHD can lead to happier, healthier mothers and significant benefits for their children, a university research study has found. The study, conducted by psychology professor Andrea Chronis-Tuscano and her team, found that an integrated method of parenting would improve not only the mental health of the mothers of children with ADHD but also the lives and behavior of the children..." Full Story

"Bulimia nervosa (BN) is a psychological issue that is associated with disordered eating behaviors...Some of the issues addressed include inattention and impulsivity, factors that are also common in people with attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD). Because these two behaviors have symptoms that overlap, Jochen Seitz of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics at the University Hospital in Aachen, Germany decided to see how prevalent ADHD was in people with BN and how the presence of ADHD affected BN symptom severity..." Full Story

Memory Capacity in Individuals with ADHD (GoodTherapy.org, June 10, 2013)

"When a person experiences an event that is marked by vivid emotional reactions, they often are able to remember specific contextual facts related to that event. For example, a particularly joyous moment could be recalled with the exact details of where a person was when it happened and exactly when the moment occurred in life...According to a recent study by Anselm B.M. Fuermaier of the Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, people with ADHD show deficits in some areas of memory processing, but not in others..." Full Story

"Have you ever sat in front of the computer screen or pad of paper, wishing the words to magically come forth from your fingertips so you could finally meet your deadline?...For people with ADHD who experience this common sense of a “blank screen,” writing can be daunting...So if you are an ADHD student working on a final paper or an ADHD adult writing blog posts for your ADHD coaching business, here are some tips on how to get through writer’s block..." Full Story

Pills are not the only way to manage your child’s inappropriate or maladaptive behaviors. Neurofeedback therapy is a safe, non-invasive, alternative option for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. In November 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics approved biofeedback and neurofeedback as a Level 1 or “best support” treatment option for children suffering from ADHD..." Full Story

"With more and more students reaching for ADHD drugs to boost their studying focus, GW doctors are looking to add steps and procedures this fall to reduce prescription drug misuse on campus. Student Health Service, the only University office with psychiatrists, could require students to undergo behavioral therapy sessions next year before they can refill prescriptions for medications like Adderall, Vyvanse and Concerta, instead of requiring short meetings with a primary care physician. The medical services department is also in talks with the University Counseling Center to conduct in-depth psychological evaluations on campus instead of pushing students to off-campus practitioners..." Full Story